Lawmakers Urge Int'l Backing To Kuwait's Stance Of Khor Abdullah Pact

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Oct 3 (KUNA) -- Thirty lawmakers on Tuesday called on parliaments of the sisterly and friendly countries to support Kuwait's stance on maintaining the Khor Abdullah agreement, which the Iraqi Supreme Court annulled recently.
The Iraqi court's annulment of the agreement, which regulates maritime navigation in the waterway, risks creating a new reality where international agreements could be overturned in violations of their terms, international law and international charters, the Kuwaiti legislators warned in a statement today.
They argued that the Kuwaiti stance aims to strengthen bilateral relations based on the principle of good neighborliness, stabilize regional security and respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, and international agreements, laws and norms.
Therefore, supporting this stance helps preserve international peace, security and global stability, especially in the Gulf region, they affirmed.
They noted that this agreement was signed more than ten years ago, ratified by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, deposited with the United Nations, and the Iraqi Federal Court had confirmed its constitutionality. It was also inked in line with the UN Security Council Resolution No. 833 of 1993, they said.
The lawmakers affirmed that the global conscience would be solid in supporting the agreement and Kuwait's stance of it to uphold the principle of preserving the sovereignty of states and respecting international law.
In his speech at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on September 21, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah affirmed that Kuwait considered the agreement to regulate navigation in Khor Abdullah waterway valid and in full force.
"The State of Kuwait will consider the agreement to regulate navigation in Khor Abdullah waterway and the security swap protocol, effective because of their importance in maintaining security and safety of navigation," he said.
He underlined that the agreement and the protocol are crucial for preventing chaos, border violations, and the high possibility of influx of illicit arms and drug, which are the two main sources for financing various terrorist militias.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf called on the Iraqi government to act swiftly to address the fallouts of the Supreme Court's verdict.
"From this platform, from which the multilateral diplomatic process was launched to maintain international peace and security, the State of Kuwait urges the Iraqi government to take concrete, decisive and urgent measures to address the repercussions of the ruling and the historical fallacies mentioned therein in a way that preserves good neighborly relations," he stated.
He reiterated Kuwait's call for mutual respect of the security, independence and territorial integrity of both countries, the signed bilateral agreements and the relevant UN resolutions, most notably the UN Security Council Resolution No. 833, which delineated the land and sea borders between the two sides up to the marine mark No. 162.
Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also denounced in the strongest terms the recent Iraqi Federal Court ruling over the issue of Khor Abdullah in which Kuwait and Iraq signed a 2012 agreement to regulate maritime navigation. (end)
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